Ben Martin’s Top Tips

Dan Paskins

Ben Martin has been head-judging this Grand Prix. A quality playe who was 2nd in the English Nationals in 1999, he has been a judge in the North of England (he lives in Scarborough) since 1997, and likes to alternate playing in tournaments with judging them.

Ben felt that this Grand Prix went well this year, although it was a shame that the start had to be delayed on the first day. Ben particularly enjoyed the fact that he did not have to disqualify anyone, and that there were a range of nationalities in the top eight.

As an experienced player and judge, Ben has seen most of the mistakes that it is posible to make while playing magic. He is a helpful soul, and has five tips which any tournament player should pay heed to. They might seem obvious, but given the number of players who fail to follow them, they are well worth having a look at.

Check your decklist. Simple one this – a common cause of unnecessary game and match losses. Get some sleep before a tournament, and remember to eat and drink regularly during a tournament. Everyone knows this is important, almost nobody does it. Shuffle your sleeves and your cards before sleeving your deck if you have bought new card sleeves; Sometimes there is a problem with new card sleevezs, and doing this ensures that none of them are marked. Know how the cards that you play with work. Failure to do this may result in rules arguments, defeats and general misery.